BOISE - An inmate committed suicide at the Ada County Jail on Saturday, the the Ada County coroner said.
The coroner said Monday that James Morgan Sanders, 40, of Garden City died of asphyxia.
According to authorities, Sanders was found unresponsive and not breathing in a cell just after 7 p.m. Saturday.
The coroner said he was alone in the cell.
Sanders had been in jail since July 9 on a delivery of a controlled substance charge, officials said. He was being held on a $50,000 bond.
The sheriff's office said deputies checked on the man about 25 minutes before he was found unresponsive in his bed. Jail personnel check on inmates every 30 minutes, officials said.
Deputies began CPR and called for medical help, but paramedics were unable to revive the man.
“Our thoughts are with family and friends of this man,” said Sheriff Steve Bartlett in a statement. “No one can know what’s going through a person’s mind when they choose to end their own life, but it’s something we take very seriously and work very hard to avoid in our facility.”
